Managing Hardware Profiles

A little known feature of Windows is the 'Hardware Profile'. This feature allows you to enable or disable certian devices and networking settings when your laptop is docked in its docking station, or when its removed.

For example, if you have different network settings for your home and office, you can create multiple hardware profiles and select the one you want to use when your computer starts up.

To create a hardware profile, follow the instructions below:

• Open the Control Panel folder, and double-click the System applet.
• Click on the Hardware tab, then press the 'Hardware Profiles' button.
• In the list of available hardware profiles, select the 'Docked Profile' or the 'Undocked Profile' and press the Copy button.
• Enter a new name for the profile and press OK button.
• Press the OK button.

When you reboot your computer, Windows will prompt you to select a hardware profile you want to use. You can customize the profile by enabling or disabling devices. Use the Device Manager to specify the devices that should be enabled or disabled for this profile.